


Could I Ever Really Hope to Have You?

by MultiVerSonalityDisorder



Series: Muddled Blood [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: "Ripper" Rupert Giles, Action, Age Difference, Alternate Timelines, Comedy, Demons, Drama, F/M, Family, Illness, Magic, Mid-Canon, Mid-Season, Monsters, Nightmares, Romance, Season 3, Vampires, age gap, canon AU, mixed blood, spells
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-05
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-04-30 03:32:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5148704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MultiVerSonalityDisorder/pseuds/MultiVerSonalityDisorder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things are going bump in the night as usual in good ol' Sunnydale. However, a new transfer student and his sister might become distractions for what's to come for the Scooby Gang. Will these siblings become useful allies or will their presence bring the team down to ruin? GilesXOC, OzXWillow, XanderXAnya, BuffyXSpike. Mature themes of death and sex.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cornelius Graham

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at Buffy the Vampire Slayer! Future chapters will be more in depth, I'm merely testing out the waters and getting a feel for this fiction as I write it. I own nothing save for the Graham siblings, and if the characters appear to be unbearably out of character, please let me know! Please Read and Review. Thank you!

“How do we get rid of him?” Xander inquired with a hushed tone. The group was crowded at the circulation desk, gazes perplexed and nervous.

“We try to get rid of him, but he always ends up coming back,” Buffy scowled. “He’s here for hours after school, and Giles always has to chase him out. It’s been two weeks!”

Removing his glasses with a sigh as he rounded about the counter to join the students on the open side, Giles added, “Yes, well, it is rather, as one might say, problematic. We haven’t been able to place our focus wholeheartedly into your training, and now we have a, uh, a…” He paused his speech, brow raising as he turned to look at Willow, “Did you say it was a _unicorn_?”

“N-No, not a unicorn, per say,” the young witch shrugged as her eyes went wide. “It’s just I, uh, saw this thing. Looked like a horse, you know? But, it had this…other thing…like…some kind of, some kind of pointy stick thing on its head. You know? Kinda similar to a, well, a horn?” Her vocals squeezed out her last word as she winced. To use the word “unicorn” felt so silly, so juvenile to her. However, from her description, it sounded just like a…

“Unicorn,” Giles straightened as he turned his attention back to the mystery among them.

It was a young man, gawky, with dark brown hair curled at the base of his neck, bangs teasing his chin and hiding heterochromatic eyes; the right a pristine blue and the left an odd violet color. He wore charcoal shaded overalls and a black long-sleeved shirt with a crew cut neckline. He wore thick boots that jingled from all of the zippers that decorated them. A red flannel was strewn atop their usual research table, and he wore a checkered dog collar, mostly purple with a hint of blue; perhaps in reference to his eyes? This unknown teen was reading through as many of Giles’s dusty books as he could at an alarming rate with a notebook at his side so he could scribble into it at undiscernible intervals.

“What sort of books has he been looking at, exactly?” Buffy looked to Giles, a bit concerned as to how he would answer.

“Mythology, folklore, demonology, etc.” his eyes met Buffy’s, almost apologetically. “There isn’t a book he hasn’t picked up that we haven’t already touched.”

“And, he writes it all down?” Xander made an appalled face. “He’s not crazy, is he?”

“Maybe he’s a writer?” Willow suggested.

“Well, I-I think the only way to find out for certain, is to ask him,” Giles stated wearily.

Making a face, Buffy replied, “Asking him?” Her eyes hesitantly turned to the teen, still scribbling something frantically into his notebook. “Well, at least, his name. Giles, did you catch his name?”

“Yes, I did, as a matter of fact. I believe it was…Cornelius? He tends to slip in here on his lunch and I approached him once, offering to let him borrow some references, but he refused. Oddly enough.”

“Yes, strange not to take home free books you aren’t expected to ever return anyway,” Xander huffed. “He must be out of his mind.”

Buffy gave her friend a look that immediately silenced him. Turning her attention back to this stranger, she straightened her spine, rolled her shoulders back and puffed out her chest, “Well, then, I guess I’ll have to ask him.”

**-**


	2. Offer

She stood there, hands behind her back as her eyes observed the pace at which his hand moved. His head inched occasionally side to side as he looked over the musty leather-bound books that were Giles’s Watcher collection; thankfully the Council hadn’t taken them away when Giles was removed from his status of being Buffy’s Watcher, the bastards. She cleared her throat, smile on her face, but all she got was silence. She repeated this action once more, emphasizing it.

This young man didn’t look up at her, didn’t bother taking a peek as he kept to his activity, but in the snarkiest tone he snipped, “If you have something to say, say it. Don’t waste my time with games.”

Buffy’s brows shot up. She quickly looked to her friends who were equally taken aback, and a Xander who seemed rather irritated. She turned back, trying to keep together her pleasant persona when dealing with strangers, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to-Well, I was trying to get your attention, but I wasn’t-Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I’m Buffy Summers. I transferred here my freshman year. I noticed you were new, and it’s the middle of the year so I figured from one newbie to the next I could say ‘hi’ and-”

Instantly, eyes snapped up at the Slayer. Buffy silenced, her eyes fixated on the violet orb that seemed to shine in a peculiar way. “You talk too much,” he murmured. “Thanks for trying to be the welcoming committee, but I don’t have the time to deal with you, or your friends.”

“Well, what are you working on?” she attempted to push forward. “Maybe we could help you? We deal with these books all the time and if there’s something specific you’re looking for it can go by faster with more eyes. Don’t you think?”

At first, the young man simply kept his gaze with hers, until they dropped momentarily to take in this person who stood before him. Buffy stiffened, unsure of this mixture of anxiety and irritation in her belly. “You,” he turned his head to look around her at the rest of the gang, “and them? Are familiar with these books?”

“Yeah, we’re always looking at them,” she swiftly turned to look to her friends. “Right, guys?”

“O-Oh, yeah! All the time!” Willow beamed, nodding her head profusely.

Xander followed as he added, “Can’t get enough of the chocolatey demony goodness.”

Giles gave Xander a look of exasperation from his sentence before he cleared his throat and decided to walk over to join Buffy and this stranger. “Your name was Cornelius, correct?” he inquired politely.

The teen in question snorted with a smirk, “Yeah. Cornelius Graham. Senior year.”

“Yes, well, Cornelius, we’re sort of like a-erm-a-uhm-a-a-a club. Yes, we’re a club, and these books-”

“Mr. Giles.”

The librarian stiffened, “Oh, I wasn’t aware you-”

Cornelius sighed, “Sorry, but I don’t have a lot of time on my hands. If you guys want to help me, that’s fine. However, I ask that you not lie to me. You can tell me the truth about you guys,” his eyes flickered over to Buffy, “about the Slayer.”

**-**


	3. Underlying Reasons

“What?” Buffy smiled nervously. “What are you talking about?”

“There’s no point in trying to hide it,” Cornelius sighed, closing the book he had been looking over before turning in his seat to face the young woman and her watcher fully. “I’m a telepath. While I normally wouldn’t care to read your mind, because you approached me, I had to check to make sure you weren’t going to be trouble. The fact that you are the Slayer,” he smiled, “is actually what I could use.”

Buffy scowled, “Use? I’m not a tool, or toy, or anything like that!”

“Well, it’s not so much you, Buffy, that I need,” he turned his attention to Giles, “it’s your watcher. He has an extensive knowledge on the supernatural and other such things. Mr. Giles, would it be a bother to ask for your help?”

“My help?” he rose a brow curiously. “What sort of…assistance are you in need of?”

Before he answered, Cornelius looked to Willow and Xander. “Willow,” the young woman jumped at the sound of her name. She hadn’t introduced herself. “You’re good at research, aren’t you? You could help, as well, if we need it.”

“Hold on,” Xander frowned, stepping towards the table but keeping a yard away. “Just who do you think you are to start telling people what to do? And, how do we know you really are a telepath?” There was a glint in the young stranger’s violet eye that had Xander feeling unsure. He found himself sweating, a heat at the back of his neck and all the worst memories in his mind were bubbling to the surface within him. He stepped back, avoiding eye contact as he heard Cornelius speak.

“I really don’t think you want me to prove that right now,” was the teasing tone. “Your mind is screaming for me not to.”

“Cornelius,” Giles called to the boy, gaining his attention and leaving Xander free of his scrutiny. Willow walked up, placing a hand on her childhood friend’s shoulder. He was shaking under her tips and she felt a protective surge. She looked to the mentor of the group who was standing with a stern posture in his spine. “Instead of intimidating classmates, I think you’d be better off explaining just what it is you would like us to help you on, so if we see fit to.”

“I’m trying to find a way for a supernatural creature to be turned human,” he stated simply.

Giles’s brows quirked as his face twisted with curiosity, “Whatever for?”

“I just need to,” Cornelius insisted. “It’s urgent that I can find a way as soon as possible. It really is a matter of life and dea-“

“Excuse me?”

The group turned to the entrance of the library to see a young woman making her way in hesitantly, until she spotted the heterochromatic youngster. “Cornelius,” she stepped over, briefly flitting her green eyes over the others as she approached him. Blond waves were held back in a ponytail, she was on the short side, a few inches shorter than Buffy herself. Her skin was remarkably pale, with a few freckles on the left side of her cheek. She wore a black sleeveless mockneck skater dress that barely hit mid-thigh. Her jeans beneath it were faded blue, the right knee a bit torn up to expose some flesh, dark blue sneakers on her feet.

“Hey, Sissy,” he murmured, standing up and hovering above her by half a foot, placing himself in front of the table.

“Sorry, I’m early, but I have to head out for a meeting tonight,” she stated. “So, pick up your things and I’ll wait for you in the car.”

“Excuse me,” Giles interrupted, and Buffy stepped back to allow the two to speak. “I’m sorry, you are?”

“Oh, I’m Cornelius’s sister,” she held a hand out. “My name is Isaiah Graham, but everyone calls me Izzy.”

Rupert’s brows rose as he shook her hand twice before releasing, “What an interesting name your parents chose for you.”

Buffy made an expression over her shoulder to her friends, who simply shrugged at the oddity of their afternoon. Her gaze turned to Cornelius who was trying to slyly place his notebooks into his bag as he stacked the books and shoved them far into an opposite corner with the spines faced away from the group. So, he was trying to hide whatever he was looking for from his sister.

“Not really,” she heard the newcomer admit sheepishly. “They just liked the sound of the name. It’s silly, if you ask me.” Then, she looked up at him quizzically, “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Rupert Giles,” he smiled, “I’m the school librarian.”

“Oh, _you’re_ Mr. Giles!” Isaiah clapped her hands together. “Corny has mentioned you a few times.” She took his hand again, “Thank you so much for making him feel welcomed here.”

“Sissy,” the young man growled, his shoulder tapping hers as he walked by her, bag ready as he slowly stepped towards the exit of the library.

“Oh, right, I’m sorry, Corny.”

“Corny?” Xander whispered to Willow, who simply jabbed him in the ribs in response.

“My apologies,” Giles replied. “You said you have a meeting, and I’m keeping you.”

Isaiah waved it off, “It’s fine. I’m just glad I could meet you. I remember how hard it was to be a teen, and Corny is always telling me that he’s in the library. I’m just happy he was able to find a place he’s comfortable in after the move. We used to live in Florida, I came to L.A. for schooling, and then my parents followed to here.” She was rambling, her hands moving as she spoke, “Since he’s graduating this year, I told my parents he could live with me when he gets into college, so I moved from L.A. to here, and now it’s just a job interview.”

“Sissy,” Cornelius gripped his sister’s elbow, “c’mon! Let’s go!”

“Okay, okay!” Isaiah sighed before turning a smile to Giles. “Sorry, and thank you for looking out for Cornelius.” She looked to the other three that were standing by, seeming a bit stunned by the situation, “Oh, Corny, are these your-?”

“That’s Buffy, Xander, and Willow,” he huffed, “now, let’s go. You can’t afford to miss out on that interview, right?”

“Yes! Sorry,” she sighed again, then chuckled as she allowed herself to be dragged away by her younger brother. She waved, “It was nice meeting you!”

“Nice…meeting you?” Buffy waved with the rest with a perplexed expression.

When the doors closed, Xander couldn’t withhold his exasperation, “What the hell was that just now?”

At this, Buffy crossed her arms, eyes on the door to make sure nobody was coming back, “Cornelius is hiding something.”

“Buffy?” Willow looked to her friend.

“He was trying to hide his books from his sister,” she stated. “So, what’s this confidential research all about?”

**To Be Continued...**


End file.
